Leather has played an interesting role in the history of perfumery from ancient times. For centuries, in the absence of other materials, leather was used in an infinity of ways from book-binding to every sort of clothing, especially boots, gloves and cloaks. The problem lay in its repellent smell: the tanning process was then reliant on the use of natural human waste. Therefore leathers had to be sanitised by saturation in natural perfume oils - musk, lavender, orange blossom and ambergris being especially popular. Because of this process of camouflage leather workers were very closely associated with the perfumery trade and the two professions often overlapped. We are told how Creed first came to the attention of King George III thanks to a gift of richly perfumed leather gloves.

In modern perfumery the smell of good leather became an accord in its own right with a slew of iconic Russian leather fragrances from the 1890's onwards. We carry the astonishingly farouche Knize Ten (1921) exclusively at Les Senteurs. Caron contributed a sumptuous leather accord with En Avion in 1932: a super-chypre of red roses contrasting with the smell of expensive shoes and luggage. Leather was always especially popular with men but is also a magnificent choice for a woman of style, character and presence. The family has enjoyed a renaissance in the present era with fragrances that are succulent, floral, sensual, smoky or shiny. Leather has a kaleidoscope of moods from the aggressive to the tranquilly assured: an infinite variety for the discerning perfume lover.